You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)

Sally's parents' marriage breaks up when her father undergoes a mid-life crisis and impulsively weds a prostitute. Meanwhile, Sally's own marriage also begins to disintegrate.

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen

Stars:

Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gemma Jones	...	Helena
Pauline Collins	...	Cristal
Anthony Hopkins	...	Alfie
Rupert Frazer	...	Jogging Partner
Kelly Harrison	...	Personal Trainer
Naomi Watts	...	Sally
Josh Brolin	...	Roy
Freida Pinto	...	Dia
Eleanor Gecks	...	Rollerblading Friend
Antonio Banderas	...	Greg
Fenella Woolgar	...	Jane
Ewen Bremner	...	Henry Strangler
Christian McKay	...	Poker Friend
Philip Glenister	...	Poker Friend
Jonathan Ryland	...	Poker Friend

Storyline

Follows a pair of married couples, Alfie (Hopkins) and Helena (Jones), and their daughter Sally (Watts) and husband Roy (Brolin), as their passions, ambitions, and anxieties lead them into trouble and out of their minds. After Alfie leaves Helena to pursue his lost youth and a free-spirited call girl named Charmaine (Punch), Helena abandons rationality and surrenders her life to the loopy advice of a charlatan fortune teller. Unhappy in her marriage, Sally develops a crush on her handsome art gallery owner boss, Greg (Banderas), while Roy, a novelist nervously awaiting the response to his latest manuscript, becomes moonstruck over Dia (Pinto), a mystery woman who catches his gaze through a nearby window.

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Plot Keywords:

call girl | manuscript | charlatan | prostitute | divorce | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France] Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA Spain

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

22 October 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Woody Allen London Project

Filming Locations:

Albion Riverside, Battersea, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$160,103, 26 September 2010, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,247,816, 6 February 2011

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mediapro, Versátil Cinema, Gravier Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (3-track)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Celia Imrie filmed her role in a day, and said that she accepted the part, even though it was small, because Woody Allen was such a "legend". Her scenes with Sir Anthony Hopkins, however, never made it into the final cut.

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Goofs

It is raining hard when Ray takes Ria to lunch, but dry as they approach the apartment building.

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Quotes

Sally: What happened to Jonathan?
Helena Shebritch: I've been all over it with Crystal. He left me for another woman.
Sally: No!
Helena Shebritch: A deceased one. They're always the stiffest competition... No pun intended.

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Connections

Featured in American Masters: Woody Allen: A Documentary (2011)

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Soundtracks

Tu Che A Dio Spiegasti L'ali [Lucia di Lammermoor/Act3]
Written by Gaetano Donizetti
Performed by Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Luciano Pavarotti and Nicolai Ghiaurov

User Reviews

Lacks most of Allen's intelligent wit, but still has his subtle jabs at society

In "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" we are swiftly introduced to the complicated plot with who is married to whom, who is cheating with whom, and who is in love with whom. I found that the slowest part. I wasn't able to find much of Allen's underlying comedy in all of the criss-crossing relationships.

The comedy comes with the arrival of Charmaine (Lucy Punch) - the "actress" that Anthony Hopkins is marrying. I found it interesting that at the sight of this most ludicrous relationship, the other characters, all at various stages of mid-life crises, then pushed forward to get their lives and relationships sorted out. Allen didn't spend much time analyzing the various loves and consequences, more just saying here they are, you can laugh at them if you wish. I laughed a little bit.

I found that Anthony Hopkins and Lucy Punch stood out of this all-star cast. Hopkins' character, nearing 70, married the much younger Punch and joined a gym after suffering his mid-life crisis. Antonio Banderas played a gallery owner and I was quite impressed with his subtle comedy and muted sexual presence. Josh Brolin played the neurotic writer that Allen himself would have played in earlier years. At first he seemed out-of-place, but I think that's part of the joke, and like Banderas, I was impressed with his subtle comedy.

I am a Woody Allen devotee, and although I found "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" lacks most of his intelligent wit, it still had his subtle jabs at his characters who each represent facets of today's society. And I still recommend it because it's better than most other films you can find.